Review: Formula X for Sephora Blazing

Blazing ($10.5 for 0.5 oz) took my breathe away... I don't think my description will do the justice.

I love everything about it. The three-free formula (no toluene, no formandehide, no DBS, which is supposed to be pregnancy-safe). The unbelievably stunning color. The shimmer. The texture. The smoothness. The ease of application, especially for such a dark color. It evens out by itself if you know what I mean. My clumpy hands spread the polish unevenly leaving behind streaks, yet the jelly texture of Blazing just auto-corrects it. Amazing! 

Blazing is supposed to last 2 weeks if being coupled with the Formula X system (cleanse, base, color and top coat). I used Butter London base coat and hardware top coat and it last 5 days without chipping. But I do have to take care of my nail. I find the brush a good size, very easy to use. 

Indoors to show you the burgundy undertone. 

I have received tons of compliments. Blazing is one of those shades you can carry all the way to the holiday season. I myself will wear it year round, probably not for corporate environment. It's perfect to dress up an outfit and add some edgy punk to the look.

One last look at Blazing. I feel so dazzling.

Bottom line. LOVE. Get it! 

Review: Tom Ford Beauty Summer 2013 - Vapor Nail Lacquer

Guys, my first luxurious nail polish and also my absolute favorite until today is Tom Ford Vapor . I don't wear nail polishes very often, hence the clumsy application in the pictures below :D. When I do, my go-to brands include Essie, Zoya, Revlon and the base and top coats by Butter London. I don't want to spend $$$$ on nail polishes either. So what's special about Vapor? 

Tom Ford Nail Lacquer in Vapor ($30 for 0.41 oz) is part of a well-edited summer collection from the brand. As soon as I saw the promo picture a few months back, I knew Vapor would be an instant click for me. When I swatched it at the counter, it turned into a love struck! 

The color, shimmery pearly white that reflects light gracefully, got me right from the start. Yes, pearly white has existed for aeon. But this white is rather unique. It's very me. It pops against my skin color in a subtle fashion and brightens up my skin. The delicate shimmer, as I expected from Tom Ford, adds fabulous touch for the color and yet isn't overdone. Under the strong light, you can see the gorgeous multicolor shimmer. Adored! 

 The applicator. Quite easy to handle except for the bulky cap. 

Vapor goes on opaque with 3 layers although I also really enjoy the sheer look of just one or two layers. It's chic, classic and not boring! The texture is weightless and smooth with excellent consistency. As you can see from the swatch, Vapor is streaky, which doesn't bother me at all. I know some people prefer a uniform look of the polish so this could be a drawback. Also, once applied the streaky finish can't be altered by my Butter London top coat.

Next to the windows - 3 coats

Direct sunlight - 3 coats

What really won my heart over is the long wearing. Vapor isn't chip-resistant like gel nail formula, of course. I wash dishes, do gardening, move things around etc... all with my bare hands. Now most of my go-to brands will peel by half of the nail after day one with all these activities. Vapor stays put on the major part of my nails, only the tips peeled after day 7. Love it!

Super fine shimmer

Now, I'm not familiar with nail polishes from other high-end brands although I tested many of them out at the counter. I can't say Vapor beats all white nail polishes in the market but it's an excellent choice for day or night, work or party and even the beach. It's so versatile that I know I'll wear the heck out of the 30-dollar bottle. My affection with Vapor is, like I said, a love struck. Not a single nail polish have ever caught my attention like Vapor. No one was even selling it to me at the counter. I played with it by myself then bought it. 

Vapor offers slightly less quantity than a typical nail polish bottle (0.41 oz vs. 0.5 oz) and comes with a hefty $30 price tag. I believe you can find a similar shade in other brands, drugstore or high-end but I've never come across a pearl white like Vapor. Depending on what you already have, it might or might not be a must-have. In any case, I still strongly recommend you check it out. It's too lovely to be missed out. 

Bottom line. Definitely a must-have for me. A classic shade that stays strong. Highly-recommended! 

Preview: Tom Ford Beauty Summer 2013 - My picks

***Update: Review of nail lacquer Vapor is here. Review of Escapade and Pink Haze can be found here.

What a day today! Hectic, exhausted, nervous, and satisfied!!!

I'll dedicate a whole post for the first part of my day. Let's fast forward to my beyond satisfying purchases of Tom Ford Summer 2013. I didn't have as much time as I wanted to test out the collection thoroughly. Beside the two powder bronzers repromoted from the permanent line, we have two illuminating sticks, one illuminating liquid, a lip lacquer, a nail polish, and two cream eyeshadows.

Here are my picks.

Vapor is my first high-end polish. I didn't expect to love it at all. It's pearl white and apply smoothly on my nail. I'll report back to you guys how well it wears on my nails but for now: ADORED! 

My first instinctive choice was of course Escapade cream eyeshadow. It's a shimmery light peach that has excellent buttery texture and stunning color that is both subtle and intense enough to be worn alone. The biggest wowing item from the collection is Pink Haze. It has bronze/golden shimmer that keeps the pink wearable. Trust me, I have the toughest time to pull of pinks and just recently reconciled with the color. I'm completely obsessed with Pink Haze. Give it a try ladies!!!! 

I also grab Tom Ford eye brush #13, the perfect eye blending brush. It created the chaos today. More about that later! :D

Now, I (temporally) skipped all the illuminating sticks and liquid as I feel like they're a bit too sheer and redundant, especially with my Tom Ford Illuminating Primer. I mix the primer with foundations too and it creates fabulous glow. The lip lacquer was so-so in terms of color and quality so I decided to save my wallet for one of the new stunning bronzers from other brands. 

In the next few weeks I'll have more time to test them out. I'm going on a trip tomorrow and still have laundry, packing and cleaning to do. Talk to you all soon.

xx

Guest post - Zoya Pippa

My lovely friend from grad school Huidong was kind enough to write a guest post for my blog. I really love her Zoya yellow nail polish so I asked her to share some thoughts about it. 

Zoya Pippa is a beautiful fresh yellow. It's bright and fun without being neon and in-your-face. The texture is creamy yet streaky. Pippa is rather sheer but becomes opaque after 2 coats. Huidong feels that Pippa goes on smoothly. It's very easy to apply but chips quickly. It would be a great color on your toes too. Imagine your tan toes with a pop of bright yellow on a white sand beach next to the blue ocean. 

Two coats

Zoya Pippa in action. Here, Huidong paired her fresh yellow nails with a green summer skirt. I think it's lovely.

Big hugs to Huidong! She was unbelievably patient with my request. She swatched Pippa several times between conferences, seminars and her own research schedule. As a result, yellow on left hand and black on right hand :)

What is our favorite nail colors for the summer? Mine is definetely baby blue. 

Review: Holiday manicure - Inglot 179

Inglot 179 (if only there's a memory-friendly name) ($10 for 0.13 oz) is a very pretty coppery bronze. While the shade is not particularly unique, the shimmer really sells the shade well. Not only is the shimmer superb-fine, it doesn't leave streak mark as you paint. The shimmer blends well with the base color, creating a smooth, even and sleek finish. Arh, I just love it! Although warm, Inglot 179 is surprisingly universal, good for summer, fall, holiday even spring when you want to jazz up your outfit. 

Pictures taken on day 5, running errands to work. Pardon my dry hands, didn't have time to put on hand cream:(. Note the chipping on my ring finger. 

Inglot nail polish wears well for 4 days any chipping detected. The brand claims their nail polish formula organic, safe for pregnant women. Well, this information can't be verified until you see the effect and that's when it'd probably be too late. But I do feel more comfortable with all the scents of Inglot nail polishes, no harsh smell that Essie or OPI sometimes have. 

Bottom line. A very easy to wear shade that works year-round. 

A side note. Inglot probably has the least appealing name for their products - numbering. We tend to embed a sassy name much faster in our mind but too racy names (eh hem NARS) could be too much. 

Review: Essie Mucho Dinero - Elegant rosy nude

The weather has become chilly recently where I live. The sun sets earlier but still shows his face for most of my working day. This is the ideal atmosphere for Essie Mucho Dinero. It's a warm rosy nude that has enough color to adorn your fingers and is muted enough to grace your work place. Mucho Dinero was listed in J.Crew's summer catalog but I find it versatile for year round. It's the warmer-month version of Essie Lady Like. 

The texture is creamy and very smooth. It goes on completely opaque after two coats. I don't have any chipping until day 7. Mucho Dinero has an outstanding consistency that is very comparable to Essie Lady Like. Although the latter has better texture, Mucho Dinero is still a well-done polish. Highly recommended!

Mucho Dinero in action.

Review: Fall Manicure - Butter London Yummy Mummy

Have you ever felt amazed at each step you apply a product? I was wowing and awing stroke after stroke of Yummy Mummy. It's been a while since I was so impressed about a beauty product.

Butter London Yummy Mummy ($14 for 0.15 oz) is a neutral taupe with a tiny hint of mauve and a very subtle sophisticated shimmer. It glides on smoothly and even out itself. It's the color you can wear year-round, any occasions regardless of your skin tone and your age (well, unless you're less than 15 years old).

I'm happy with just 2 coats. Yummy Mummy dries in flawless and shinny finish so I don't see the necessity of a top coat. In these swatches I used Seche Vite dry fast top coat anyway. Pardon my mega-dry cuticles :(

With all the hype around it (and actually it's such a beautiful color) I had high hope for Yummy Mummy. Sadly, it chipped within 3 days. Disappointed. But the color is far too lovely for it to go back to the store.

By the way, Ulta is having a buy 2 get 1 free deal on Butter London. Ladies, that's equal 33% off! The deal is good until 10/22/2011.

Review: Fall Manicure - Essie Lady Like

I had a crush with Lady Like, much like a love at first sight, when I spotted it on the shelf. Lady Like has a mixture of muted mauve, pink and purple - a perfect tone for cooler months. Beside the lovely color Lady Like offers an exceptionally fool-proof texture. Most cream nail polishes tend to live in the streakville especially under clumsy handling (mine, for instant). Not Lady Like!  It evens out itself after one minute without help of a top coat. The texture is concentrated and almost gel-like. It goes completely opaque with two coats although one coat will offer enough coverage with skilled application.

 Lady Like would flatter cool tone better than warm tone but light warm tone will be just as beautiful. Strongly recommended!